Status: Undecided
by Angelic Fluffle
Summary: Say Tsuna was never the Vongola heir. Instead, through a twist of fate, Tsuna is a depressed young man on the verge of suicide. That is, until he's given a second chance. A chance to become the man he could have been, with the memories of being Vongola Decimo. Now, he has twenty five years to set his life straight and complete the requirement set of him by his benefactor...or else.
1. Status: Alive, Again

**Hey y'all. Fluffle here. Listen up. **

**I don't know if I'm going to continue this story, but I want reader opinion before I do. I'm already in the middle of a couple other stories, but I just couldn't get this one out of my mind. If I get a good positive response, I will continue it. If I don't, I will leave it up and maybe get back to it when I have the time.**

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: Twenty-Five

Status: Alive. Barely.

Tsuna stared at the knife in his hand. It was a normal kitchen knife, on the cheap side, with a slight serration and a little bit of rust from lack of care. It was positioned over his wrist, just above a prominent blue vein. He could do it this time. He was sure he could. After a moment, he sighed and started to put it down. He just wasn't brave enough.

His foot slipped in some water, and he fell on his leg, which cracked loudly with a sickening snap. The knife in his hand slashed across his bared wrist, which spurted blood. _Oops_, he thought. Oops indeed.

He tried to stand, to get something to bandage his wrist, but his leg gave out and pain shot through him. The puddle around him was turning pink. This time, he smashed his head against the shower, leaving him dizzy and confused.

_Oh… I should get something. For my wrist. But I can't stand. There's too much blood. How much can I lose? I'm going to die. I wanted this, right? _He whimpered slightly at the pain. _But it hurts. I didn't think it would hurt. I don't want to die. Not like this. Everything's turning black. That's not good. I'm pathetic, dying like this. Shouldn't there be more suspense, more excitement? It feels understated. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want…_

The first thing Tsuna saw when he opened his eyes was a pair of completely violet eyes. Whites, iris, and pupil were all a bright purple. "Hiee!"

"Geez. I'm not that scary!" Tsuna could now see the person clearly. He was tallish, with red (_real_ red, not orange) hair that stuck straight up about an inch, and pale skin. If it weren't for the eyes, he could even be considered handsome. "Nice t' meetcha. I'm Sessu. You're Tsunayoshi Sawada, right? Isten can be so stingy with his information."

After a moment of silence, Sessu sighed. "Seriously. Anyway, there's been a problem with one of the other worlds, and I'm sending you in to fix it, since you're available. Don't mess up. I don't feel like explaining everything to you, so all you need to know is that Esru will be with you, and I'm giving you some memories that aren't as pathetic as you are now." He turned to a gate that Tsuna hadn't noticed. **"Peta babkama luruba anaku!"** Nothing happened. **"**Argh**,** **peta! Amelatu, Ati me peta babka!**

Finally, the gate swung inward, and a deep voice emanated from it. **"Suharruru, Sessu. Alka, zini." **

"He was talking to you, idiot. He told you to enter. Go!" Tsuna was thrown into the gate, and everything went black for a moment before the same voice spoke.

**"Sumsu."**

Tsuna was elbowed by Sessu, who had followed him in. "State your name, moron."

"Eto… Sawada Tsunayoshi."

**"Asar?"**

This time, Sessu answered. **"Hursagmu."**

There was a period of silence, but the Gatekeeper finally said **"Alaku." **

Tsuna felt a hard push on his back, and suddenly the world was flooded with light. He was laying on a table covered in a thin layer of cushion, and his body felt sluggish. He slowly raised his hand above his head, only to freeze, as a pudgy, pale hand floated over him. Nearby, beeping started up at a steady pace.

Tsuna waved his hand, and the baby hand followed the motion. He reached up to touch his face, and the hand moved closer. He cried out. "Hiee!"

He heard a cry of relief nearby. "Thank god, he's alive! Someone go get his parents! I'm going to give him a once over." A gigantic doctor in green scrubs and a mask leaned down, feeling for Tsuna's pulse. "How are you feeling, kiddo? You shouldn't scare your mom and dad like that. Looks like you're alright. You shouldn't get into dangerous things like that again, though. You were lucky.

Tsuna tried to say he was not alright, that he didn't know what was going on, but all that came out was a loud "Maa! Waa!"

The doctor leaned back. "No permanent damage. Actually, no damage at all. He's one lucky kid."

"Tsu-kun!" Tsuna heard a familiar voice, one he hadn't heard in years. "Tsu-kun!" He could only lay there, shocked, as his _dead_ mother hugged him to her chest. "Tsu-kun!"

She was dead. He had seen the body. So how could she be here?

"Son!" Tsuna saw another impossible figure over his mother's shoulder. His father, who had abandoned him. Tsuna heard a loud wail, and realized it was _him_. "Waaah! Waaah!"

"Excuse me, Mrs. Sawada, Mr. Sawada, may I speak to you?" While the doctor explained something about poison aftereffects, Tsuna suddenly found himself bombarded with memories.

In the memories, he was the tenth boss of the Vongola famiglia. Tsuna remembered techniques he'd never learned, people he'd never met or barely knew, and things that never happened. He found himself missing people like Yamamato Takeshi, Gokudera Hayato, and Sasagawa Ryohei. People who had never afforded him a second glance. At the end of the string of memories, he heard Sessu's voice. _So you have a reason to live._

By the time he snapped out of his trance, he had been set into a cradle by his mother, and the only thing he could see was the glow of a nightlight. He fell asleep listening to the soft rush of the wind.

When Tsuna was old enough to speak, his father returned from a yearlong trip for a couple days. At the end of them, Tsuna could see his mother hiding tears, so he reached out and grabbed Iemitsu's pant leg, saying his first word(s). "Don't leave."

Both parents just stared at him openmouthed, so he made sure he got his point across by repeating the short sentence. "Don't leave."

Iemitsu started crying proudly. "Look at him, Nana! Isn't he the cutest?" A serious look returned to his face. "Goodbye, Nana."

Tsuna interrupted Nana's goodbye. "NO! DON'T GO DON'T GO DON'T GO!" He clung to his father's leg. Come hell or high water, he was going to make sure his mother was happy. "NONONONONONONONONONONO!"

His display managed to keep his father for another month. After arguing on the phone with someone, Iemitsu finally sent them a recording of Tsuna. After that, there were no complaints about him staying, although he was often on the phone.

Although he did end up leaving, he promised to come back more often. He (somehow) kept his promise; it was possibly helped by the scene Tsuna was sure to make every time he went out the door. And when he nearly starved himself to death waiting for his father to come back.

When Tsuna was five, the world ended.

Okay, not really. What happened is that he decided to find his guardians. What he didn't count on was getting lost. Everything looked so different from a five year old perspective, and he had no idea where he was, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, kid, are you lost?" Tsuna jumped, his mind going to stories of pedophiles and perverts—

A pair of large brown eyes entered his field of vision. "What's your name?"

"Takeshi…" he whispered, his mind going to his rain guardian. But that was impossible. This boy was too old.

"Eh, really? Haha, we have the same name!" One of Takeshi's hands went up to scratch the back of his head.

Tsuna shook his head. "Tsuna…my name's Tsunayoshi."

"Oh, sorry. I thought you said Takeshi. My name's Yamamoto Takeshi. It's nice to meet you, Tsunayoshi-kun. What are your parents' names?" Behind Takeshi, Tsuna saw an all too familiar white haired bomber.

Tsuna burst into tears. Of all the things that could have happened, he had been born _younger_ than his guardians. How had that happened? Takeshi frantically tried to comfort him, and Hayato rolled his eyes.

"What'd you do now, baseball idiot?"

"I don't know! He just started crying!"

"Just bring him to Jyuudaime's mom. She can deal with him." Hayato pointed at the house next to them, with a nameplate reading _Akamine_. Tsuna gasped silently. _Jyuudaime…who has taken my place?_

As if on cue, a woman opened the door. "Hayato-kun, Takeshi-kun, how nice to see you! Are you here for Daiki?" She was a young woman with kind eyes and dark red hair.

"Akamine-san! Can you come help us? This kid, Tsunayoshi, is lost." Takeshi called, standing up so he could see her better.

"Lost? The poor thing. Bring him over here." The woman stepped into the yard, and Takeshi grabbed Tsuna's hand. Tsuna followed obediently, rubbing at his eyes. He trusted Takeshi and Hayato not to lead him anywhere suspicious.

"Can you tell me your parents' names, Tsuna-kun? I'm Akamine Akemi. We'll have you back home soon, I promise." Now that he was closer, Tsuna could see that she had chocolate brown eyes.

He sniffed and answered "Mama is Sawada Nana. Papa is Sawada Iemitsu."

Akemi smiled. "I see, so you're Nana's son. Let me give her a call. Come on in." Tsuna stepped hesitantly inside, only to be hit with something around his size with a large, curly afro.

"NYAHAHA! ALL THE CANDY IS MINE!" Both of them went crashing backwards, and purple candies went flying everywhere.

Someone Tsuna instantly recognized as I-Pin came running. "Bad Lambo! No stealing I-Pin's candy!"

"Oh?" Lambo finally noticed Tsuna. He tried to look cool, but the image was ruined by his finger picking his nose. "Who are you? Never mind, you may call me Lambo-sama! Nyahaha!"

"Oi…stupid cow…STOP DISTURBING JYUUDAIME'S MOM!" Hayato lunged at Lambo, who squealed and shot away.

"Betcha can't catch me, Stupidera! NYAHAHA!" Lambo taunted, holding a pink grenade in front of him as a shield. Tsuna backed up, watching the suddenly larger-than-life cow-child sling his arm back to throw the grenade.

"LAMBO! NO, DON'T THROW THAT IN THE HOUSE!" A loud voice followed by a crash froze Lambo in his tracks, and the curly-haired lightning guardian hurriedly stuffed the grenade back into his hair.

A red-haired figure had fallen down the stairs, and sat up next to Lambo to finish tying half-tied shoelaces. "Lambo, do NOT throw those in the house. Dad is nearing the end of his patience with the house getting destroyed." The boy turned to Tsuna. "I heard Mom talking to you at the door. Tsuna-kun, right? It's nice to meet you. I'm Akamine Daiki."

Tsuna's eyes traced up the soft, girlish face, past the small nose and wide, golden-brown eyes, to the reddish-orange hair sticking up in the same way that Tsuna's stuck up in.

Like I said. The world ended.

* * *

Name: Akamine Daiki.

Age: Fourteen

Status: …

VONGOLA DECIMO CANDIDATE

* * *

**A/N- The gods(?) were speaking Sumerian. Here's a translation-**

**Sessu- Sixth**

**Isten- One, first**

**Esru- Tenth**

**Peta babkama luruba anaku!- Open the gate for me so that I may enter here!**

**Peta!- Open for me!**

**Amelatu, Ati me peta babka!- Gatekeeper, open your gate for me!**

**Suharruru, Sessu. Alka, zini. Quiet, Six. Wind spirit, come.**

**Sumsu?- Name?**

**Asar?- Where?**

**Hursagmu- Mountain of the Sky-Chambers**

**Alaku- Go**


	2. Status: Depressed

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: Five

Status: In Shock

_(Because you understand)_

_'What kind of 'reason to live' is this? These aren't _my _guardians. They never were in the first place!'_

"Calm down, moron. I'm not cruel enough to psychologically torture you with that. I put you there for a reason, you know." Sessu slammed down the gray scythe he was holding, and a large crack formed. A red eye glared through for a moment, before a clawed hand pulled the edges back together.

"Why, then? Why did you bring me here?" Tsuna asked desperately. "Why couldn't you just let me be? Just let me bleed out and go to wherever dead people go?"

"Because you understand."

"What?"

"You understand hopelessness and grief. You understand loneliness and depression. You understand what it's like to be afraid of living, and afraid of dying. You understand how much damage a single word can do, and how useless they are when it matters most. You understand how wasteful others can be, and you understand how to use that. They teach you to treasure what you have.

"The memories I gave you teach you the opposite. They teach you hope and friendship. They teach how to hold out a hand and overcome your fear. They teach you to live, and to keep living. They teach you how to turn a hopeless situation around into something worth fighting for. They teach you how to break through with more than words, and how to understand others. They teach you sacrifice without waste, and unshakeable resolution. They teach you to believe in others, even when you only have the tiniest thread of trust to go on. They teach you to live.

"While what you learned to understand makes you hopeless, and the memories I gave you make you careless, together they can teach you caution and resolve. That is why I picked you."

The arrogant figure who insulted Tsuna was gone during that monologue, and the violet eyes flashed. "You need to protect this world, this Decimo, and keep him alive, or the cost will be more than you can imagine.

"Twenty-five years, Decimo. Twenty-five years to save your friends. Twenty-five years to learn how to put someone you envy and possibly hate above your own well-being. Twenty-five years to become who you could have been, who you might be, who you _must_ be.

"All you need to do is protect Akamine Daiki."

"To protect…" Tsuna whispered, covering his face in tiny hands. "To protect him? Why?"

"I am Sessu, the sixth. I am the sixth angel, the sixth demon, the sixth soul. I exist solely for the protection of the mortal worlds. The guy you'll be meeting soon is Esru, the tenth. His job is the protection of time. He's in there somewhere, probably still deciding who he wants to possess. He's picky like that. You probably won't see him 'til you're ten or so. Most likely, he'll be a boy with spiky black hair and tiny irises." He grinned and pulled a door out of thin air. The cold façade was gone like it had never been there.

"Spiky black hair and tiny irises…?" Tsuna could only think of one person who matched that description. "Ah! Wait, you didn't answer my question!" But Sessu was already gone.

_(You understand hopelessness and grief)_

Tsuna woke up to his mother shaking him. "Tsu-kun! We're going to bring a cake to Akemi-chan. Do you remember Akemi-chan? The nice lady who helped you when you were lost yesterday?"

Tsuna nodded. "Yes. I remember Akamine-san."

Nana beamed at him. "That's good, Tsu-kun. You need to thank her for helping when you were lost!"

Tsuna dressed himself in jeans and an orange sweatshirt with a large black twenty-seven on it. His excitable mother cooed over him as they walked, patting down his hair vainly and pinching his cheeks until they were like apples. Tsuna just kept his head down. He didn't want to see the person who had taken his place again.

Nana chattered the whole way, and Tsuna learned the following things about the Akamine household: It had originally consisted of Akamine Akemi, Akamine Ryota, and Akamine Daiki, their son. Recently, it had the added additions of Lambo, I-Pin, Reborn, and Fuuta. Bianchi, Hayato, Takeshi, Ryohei, Haru, and Basil were constantly in-and-out.

Apparently, Ryota and Iemitsu had met through work. According to Nana, they had met while Iemitsu was managing traffic by the building that Ryota worked at, and they had both gone to get coffee at the same shop. However, there had only been one cup of coffee left, so Iemitsu had given it to Ryota, and they'd become friends. Tsuna could have pointed out that Ryota worked in Italy, and Iemitsu was supposed to be in South America during that timeframe.

They finally made it to the Akamine house. "Ring the doorbell, Tsu-kun!" Tsuna made small circles in the dirt by the door. "Tsu-kun!"

Tsuna grudgingly reached up and rang the doorbell, standing on his tiptoes. The door was opened by Fuuta, who smiled sweetly at Nana. "Hello, Sawada-san. Akemi-san is out shopping, but you can come in."

"Oh, is that so?" Nana asked cheerfully. "Then is it okay if we wait in the living room?"

Tsuna hid behind his mother, not wanting to see the familiar faces, but Fuuta mistook it for shyness and grabbed his hand. "It's okay! The Akamine household is ranked number six out of one million, twelve thousand, five hundred and twenty three households in Japan that are safe for kids!"

Tsuna was dragged into the living room, where he came face to face with Ryohei, who was on the floor playing horse with Lambo. "Oh! Hello to the extreme!"

Tsuna shrieked in surprise and leapt backwards, crashing into something his size. "Owie!"

"Hie! I'm sorry!" Tsuna spun to see…an angel!

Sasagawa Kyoko stood there in all her glory, standing just below Tsuna in height, with her warm brown eyes and ginger hair. Best of all, she was obviously around Tsuna's age!

"H-hello. I-I'm Sa-Sawada Tsu-Tsunayoshi," he stuttered bowing clumsily.

"Hewwo! I is Sasagawa Kyoko!" However, Ryohei corrected her.

"Kyoko, it is 'I am' to the extreme!"

"Sowwy. _I am_ _to the extweme_ Sasagawa Kyoko!" Tsuna gaped at the display. _Sasagawa Kyoko_… the girl he'd loved in both lives. The only real similarity between them.

In Tsuna's original life, Kyoko had been an untouchable figure, the only person who showed him kindness. Even though it had gotten him more beatings, he accepted the kindness desperately. She had moved away after high school, and he never saw her again.

In his new memories, she'd become a real friend. Tsuna saw her flaws and her perfections, and still loved her. Even when she married someone else, he had loved her. When she had been manipulated into betrayal, he had loved her. Tsuna could forgive Kyoko anytime, anywhere, anything.

And here she was again, smiling as if none of that had ever happened. And it hadn't, for her. Tsuna felt his eyes water, and tears began to spill over. Kyoko's smile changed into a worried frown. "Awe you okay?"

Tsuna rubbed at his eyes, and smiled, a breathtaking smile that took Kyoko's breath away. "I'm happy. I'm really happy."

"Che." Tsuna noticed Hayato and Takeshi on the couch, and more tears fell. In his emotionally unguarded moment, it was like the whole world was pressing in and trying to break his joy at seeing that _he wasn't the only one_. Kyoko was here. Nothing could make him unhappy now.

Except, maybe, a kick to the head by Reborn.

"Ah! Reborn, he's just a kid! Don't do that! He's not even mafia!" And Akamine Daiki, of course. At the sight of them, and the pain from the kick, he burst into fresh, unhappy tears.

A gentle hand lifted him into the air, away from Reborn. When he looked up, Tsuna saw Daiki peering at him worriedly. "Are you okay, Tsuna-kun? Did Reborn hit you hard?"

Tsuna childishly pushed him away with his small hands, frantically wiping all signs of weakness from his eyes. "Put me down!"

"Look at that, Baka Daiki. Even kids hate you." Reborn snarked, jumping onto Takeshi's shoulder. Reborn looked almost exactly the same as Tsuna remembered, with curly sideburns, orange striped hat, and deep black eyes. He looked older than Tsuna remembered, but Tsuna brushed it off as his imagination.

Nana finally came in, carrying the dog tags that Tsuna's father had given him for his birthday. "Tsu-kun, you should be more careful. You dropped Daddy's present!" Tsuna obediently took the tags from her and clasped them around his neck, before burying his head into her leg to finish calming down. "Tsu-kun? Is something wrong?" He shook his head and pulled away, making a beeline for Kyoko.

"I'm sorry. Friends?" Tsuna asked, holding his hand out. Kyoko looked at it for a moment, before clasping it in her own with a grin.

"Okay!"

_(You understand loneliness and depression)_

Tsuna had automatically assumed that because the Vongola was in this world, everything would happen like it had. He couldn't be more wrong.

Just a month after meeting the Akamines, his mother was diagnosed cancer, just like in his original world. Tsuna was forced to watch yet again as his mother wasted away, eventually losing the strength to even take care of Tsuna.

An emergency in the Vongola kept his father's visits short, and Tsuna almost never saw him as Iemitsu was always with Nana. Though Tsuna couldn't forgive his first father, he forgave this version of Iemitsu for his caring. Tsuna was, luckily, able to take care of himself.

When Akemi came over to visit, and saw the state Nana was in, she had her checked into the Namimori hospital. Nana protested, but Akemi was firm, and said she would take care of Tsuna. The little boy, however, refused vehemently, insisting that he stay in the hospital with his mother.

Then came the day when Tsuna woke up to the sound of a never-ending beep.

_(You understand what it's like to be afraid of living, and afraid of dying.)_

Name: Sawada Nana

Age: 24

Status: Newly Deceased

_(You understand how much damage a single word can do, and how useless they are when it matters most)_

**A/N: ****Wow. I did not expect such a big response. ****_19_**** follows (more than any of my other stories), 8 favorites, 3 reviews, and 1 ****_community_****. None of my other stories are part of a community!**

**Because of this, I have decided to continue. It makes me a little nervous, in case it isn't good enough, so tell me immediately if I did something wrong.**

**Thanks to Aria Styles, GodsPromiseToMan, HKTM, Ice-Snow Witch, Killer Panda01, Otaku Del Cielo, RikiRenaH42, Ryter's Return, Smally, StarsSky01, SteamRaven, Taira-keimei, The Neo Productions, Toumei Ai, elishakanzen, happytth, silent-insaneminako, tatsuki1988, and umbreonblue for following!**

**Thanks to 07Eve, Dionvion, KuroShiroNeko-chan, Mia Heartnet, Toumei Ai, happytth, tatsuki1988, and umbreonblue for favoriting.**

**Thanks to Toumei Ai, RandomS, and Slytherin'sBlackUnicorn for reviewing!**

**PS- How many People guessed who Esru's gonna be?**


	3. Status: Mourning

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: 5 ½

Status: Devastated

_(You understand how wasteful others can be, and you understand how to use that)_

Tsuna refused to leave his mother's body until the doctors forcibly removed him and brought him to an empty room. Once there, he simply sat and stared at the wall in grief. He wanted to die. He wanted to find his mother again and be held in her arms. He'd lost her twice. Hadn't once been enough?

Tsuna didn't even register the voices nearing until the door slid open, and he heard a surprised "Tsuna-kun?" Blinking, the brunette looked up at Akamine Daiki, who was standing in the door with Reborn on his shoulder.

"Stupid Daiki, this isn't Ryohei's room," Reborn said insultingly.

"But you told me to go in here!" Daiki argued, and was met with a kick to the head. "Ow!"

A nurse peeked in behind him. "Are you friends of Sawada-kun? If so, could you take care of him for us? With all the people coming in, we have no one to spare on someone who isn't injured." The nurse smiled at Daiki, who wilted under her pleading look.

"Okay." Tsuna was lifted a second time into the arms of his least favorite person, who was greeted with a half-hearted snub. After a moment, he buried his head into Daiki's shoulder and inhaled the familiar scent of Reborn's cologne. The Arcobaleno hopped down to lead the way down the hall, stopping in front of another door on the opposite end of the hospital. Tsuna heard Daiki muttering under his breath about illogical babies.

Apparently Reborn did too, because the door hit Daiki in the face without touching Tsuna. "OW!"

"Oh! Akamine! You're quick!" Ryohei started to say something else, but Daiki interrupted him.

"Onii-san, how badly are you injured?"

Ryohei just grinned at the interruption. "Six bones broken, seven cracked, and look! I lost five of my teeth!" He opened his mouth wide to show off his new spaces. Tsuna winced and looked away, unconsciously clenching his fists into Daiki's shirt.

"Onii-san, you shouldn't do that. You're scaring Tsuna-kun!" Daiki reprimanded, shifting Tsuna to his other arm and making him squeak.

The door opened, surprising them all, and Kyoko's mother entered with the little girl herself. The tired looking woman kissed Ryohei on the forehead and gave his guests a strained smile before dropping Kyoko on the bed and rushing out with her phone in hand.

The little ginger crawled up the bed to kneel next to her brother's head. "Onii-chan, why did you climb the bathhouse chimney?!" She poked her brother's forehead before saying "Is it weally just a spwain?" Kyoko gently stroked her brother's hair, looking wide-eyed at all of Ryohei's injuries. Ryohei tried to sit up straighter, but winced in pain and fell back.

Kyoko's eyes went even wider before she burst into tears. Tsuna watched Daiki and Ryohei for a moment as they tried to quiet the little girl, before getting exasperated and climbing down to talk to Kyoko himself.

As long as he could remember, he had always been able to calm Kyoko down. When he was younger, he was never brave enough to try, but he had more confidence now.

"Kyoko-chan, you shouldn't cry. Nii-san's okay, see? He's talking to you and everything!" Tsuna realized what he had called Ryohei a moment later, and flushed, quickly ducking his head.

However, Ryohei grinned at him. "I have a little brother now!" The boxer managed to push himself up successfully. "Extreme!"

Kyoko sniffled a couple more times before wiping her tears on her sleeve and grabbing Tsuna's hand. "Thank you."

Tsuna blushed bright red. "I-I-I…" Dammit, hadn't Reborn gotten rid of that stutter? "I-uh, you're w-welcome…" Tsuna frantically scrunched his t-shirt in his hands, and felt something stiff poke him in the palm of his hand. He opened it to see a small bloodstain left from when Nana had been coughing up blood the night before. Abruptly reminded about his mother, Tsuna remembered her situation and climbed to the floor. "I have to go."

"Hey, wait a second, Tsuna-kun! The nurse asked me to take care of you!" Daiki grabbed the back of his shirt, effectively stopping his movements.

"But I…" He had to make sure she was really gone. That it wasn't a dream. He had to see his mother. "I have to…I have to find…" he yanked his shirt free and dashed out the door.

"Ah! Wait!" Tsuna heard a crash as Daiki shot out of the room and straight into the opposite wall, but didn't look back. His mother was most important.

Everything looked so different from a child's point of view. After what seemed like hours of wandering, Tsuna found a door with the dreaded word plastered across the plaque: _MORGUE_.

The door swung open with an almost eerie swish. There was one doctor in the room, but he had his back to Tsuna. The little boy slipped in, glancing at the nearest clipboard, dismissing it when it didn't show the name he was looking for.

Clipboard after clipboard after clipboard passed him by, but none of them were the one he was looking for. The only bodies left were the ones near the doctor. Tsuna hesitantly crept up to peer at the one nearest to him: _Arisa Rei_. No, that wasn't it.

As Tsuna moved closer, he heard a voice behind him. "There you are!" The doctor turned, and Tsuna blinked as he recognized the brunette man in front of him: Trident Shamal. He didn't have much time to dwell on this fact, because he was lifted up by none other than Akamine Daiki. He shrieked in surprise, automatically lashing out with his small fists, but Daiki ignored the light pounding and glanced at Shamal with a glimmer of recognition. "Hey, how come you didn't notice him?"

Shamal crossed his arms. "You can't expect me to notice every brat that comes near me." In other words: Shamal had just ignored him.

Daiki rolled his eyes, catching the implications, before holding Tsuna out in front of him. "What were you looking for, Tsuna-kun?"

Tsuna blew out his cheeks and looked away. A gunshot sounded, scaring the crap out of the brunette, and a squeaky voice ordered "Stop acting like a brat."

That hit Tsuna pretty hard. Reborn was his role model, and being told that he was acting like a brat was harsh on the boy. His mouth opened and closed like a fish before he finally found his voice. "I…I was looking…for…Mo…Mom…" The tears he had held back finally broke free, and he sobbed unashamedly, snot and tears running down his face as he cried for his mother, his closest friend, his only confident in this world.

Daiki looked shocked. "Mrs. Sawada is dead…?" Hesitantly, unsure about how Tsuna would react, he pulled the little boy closer to his chest, rocking him lightly as he backed out of the room. Shamal closed the door behind him.

Tsuna abandoned all pretenses of dislike and cried, cried into the shirt of the one he hated most in this world, the one he should hate most in this world. Somehow, he couldn't do it. Akamine Daiki was too kind. He was too gentle. Tsuna couldn't help but trust him.

Daiki carried him back through the hallways, and Tsuna slowly fell asleep against the cinnamon scented boy.

_(They teach you to treasure what you have)_

Tsuna woke up when Daiki roughly dropped him off in Ryohei's room, telling him "Don't-move-I-have-to-go-deal-with-something-okay? Oh-and-Onii-san-can-you-watch-him-for-me?" Daiki was gone before Tsuna was finished yawning.

Kyoko hesitantly crawled over to him. "Awe you okay, Tsuna-kun?"

Tsuna gave one mighty sniff, clearing his nose, before answering. "I'm…I'm fine, Kyoko-chan."

"Oh…" the little girl yawned. "Okay." Without warning, she curled up against Tsuna and closed her eyes. Tsuna froze, blushing furiously and silently begging Ryohei for help.

Alas, the boxer was as oblivious as ever, and followed his sister's example. Tsuna was left frozen with tension as his crush slept next to him. He stayed that way until Daiki came rushing back in what seemed like hours later. "Ah! I'm sorry I forgot you were here, Tsuna!"

Ryohei was up in an instant. "OH! AKAMINE! IS SOMETHING EXTREMELY WRONG?!" All three people in the room winced at the volume.

"Onii-san, this is the hospital." Ryohei just grinned. "Hayato got attacked. I'm gonna take Tsuna, okay? I called my mom, and she said that we're gonna take care of him."

Daiki brought him to the school infirmary, and Tsuna stopped breathing for a moment when he saw Hayato unconscious on the bed. Without thinking, he wiggled free from Daiki's grasp and dropped to the floor, pulling himself up so he could check on the white haired bomber. After a moment of listening to his breathing, he picked up Hayato's hand and held it tightly. A memory at the back of his mind tugged at his attention, but he ignored it in favor of watching Hayato intently.

The white hand twitched, and Tsuna sighed in relief as Hayato cracked one eye open. "Where the hell…?" Hayato shot up in the bed. "Jyuudaime!"

"I'm right here, Hayato!" Daiki assured as he pried Tsuna away from the volatile bomber. "Careful, you almost hurt Tsuna-kun."

"Eh?" Hayato turned the full force of his glare on Tsuna, and the little boy shrank back. He hadn't faced Hayato's glare since he first met him. It hurt to be on the receiving end.

After a moment, the green eyes looked up to Daiki, adopting the expression Tsuna was more used to.

"Jyuudaime! Are you okay?!" Daiki nodded and handed Tsuna off to Takeshi. He was probably afraid that Tsuna would run off again if he wasn't held by someone.

Tsuna met the rain guardian's eyes in shock, and saw his expression reflected back at him. After a second of staring, Takeshi grinned and swung Tsuna up onto his shoulders. "Hey, kiddo! Nice to see you again!" Tsuna was too freaked out by the height to answer. He quickly buried his face in Takeshi's hair, closing his eyes in relief as the vertigo faded. However, the relief didn't last long as he realized exactly when they were.

Rokudo Mukuro was attacking the Namimori students.

_(The memories I gave you teach you the opposite)_

Name: Hibari Kyoya

Age: Fifteen

Status: Critically Injured

_(They teach you hope and friendship)_

**A/N – Kon'nichiwa! I gladly present chapter three!**

**I did not expect such a big response for two chapters. It makes me so happy.**

**Thanks to Nina Himmel, Dai27, Otaku Del Cielo, Barricade of the Decepticons, NamiLei, RandomS, Killer Panda01, morzan329, Ghostdragon101, Ayaki-Chan, and Toumei Ai for reviewing! And to all 32 of my followers (kyaah)!**

**NamiLei – I'm glad you like it so much. I've tried many different chapter lengths, and this works the best for me, but thank you for saying that!**

**Fluffle out!**


	4. Status: Remembering

_**LISTEN UP HERE ALL OF YOU WHO READ THIS CHAPTER BEFORE! I'M SORRY, BUT I LIED IN MY AUTHOR'S NOTE! THERE WILL BE ONE MORE CHIBIFIED IMPORTANT CHARACTER! ALSO, ON AN UNRELATED NOTE, I HAVE A POLL ON MY PROFILE THAT REALLY NEEDS VOTERS! ITS OKAY IF YOU DON'T PLAN TO READ THE STORY, BUT TWO INDIVIDUAL VOTERS WON'T CUT IT FOR MY DECISION! THANKS AND SORRY FOR THE TROUBLE!**_

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: 5 ½

Status: Maladjusted

_(They teach how to hold out a hand and overcome your fear)_

The Akamine house was a very nice house. It had two floors, a basement, lots of windows, two bathrooms, an unlimited number of bedrooms, a dining room, a sitting room, and a large kitchen. All in all, it was quite a lovely house.

Tsuna hated it.

Compared to his large, familiar house, it was stiflingly claustrophobic. Every time Lambo threw a grenade (despite Daiki's protests), every time Gokudera came running over to see his Tenth, every time Takeshi patted his head, it pained Tsuna. He missed his airheaded mother, not Akemi, with her sharp, understanding eyes. He didn't want to watch all of the attention focus itself on someone else.

Though the occupants of the house had accepted him, Tsuna felt like an outsider. The only face he ever showed in this house was one of bland politeness.

The only exception was Kyoko. He always smiled around her, patiently playing her favorite games and helping her with kindergarten homework. Ryohei treated him no differently than he'd treated Tsuna before; with allowances made for his age, of course. Tsuna had been shocked to death when Ryohei offered to let him join the boxing club.

It was as he was walking to the Sasagawa household that something eventful (Not counting…that. And that.) finally happened.

Tsuna was kidnapped.

He'd noticed that Fuuta was missing, but he didn't expect that Mukuro would have any reason to go after him. He was proven wrong when Ken Joshima bodily picked him up, grumbling about how annoying it was (byon).

Kokuyo land was just as Tsuna remembered it, rundown and eerie. Ken brought him straight to the main building, dropping him roughly on the floor. Tsuna recoiled from the bloodstains that he distantly identified as being Kyoya's.

"Oya, oya, Ken. He is a guest." Tsuna looked up to see Rokudo Mukuro, future Mist Guardian of the Vongola. The little brunette scrambled up, dusting off his knees and looking at Mukuro with wide eyes.

Mukuro merely smiled, shooing Ken away with one hand, and leaned forward. "So, you are Sawada Tsunayoshi. How…unexpected."

Tsuna, who had been expecting something entirely different, stared at Mukuro in shock. "Um…"

Mukuro sighed, leaning his head on his hand. "Haa…I suppose this was useless. You would not remember." Tsuna winced away from the creepy smile.

"Remember what, Mukuro?" Tsuna asked. Mukuro's eyes widened, before he threw back his head and laughed.

"Kufufufufu! So you do remember, my dear Tsunayoshi!"

"Eh…" Tsuna started with shock. It couldn't be…

Mukuro grinned, almost maliciously. "Isn't that right, Von. Go. La. De. Ci. Mo. San?"

"Hiee?! Mukuro, you remember?!" Tsuna unconsciously ran forward, gripping Mukuro's pant leg. Surprisingly, he didn't shake off the small hand.

"Of course, my dear Tsunayoshi. I have, after all, been reincarnated six times. Is it odd that I would remember such a life?"

Tsuna sniffed, rubbing the tears out of his eyes. "Then Mukuro… Why are you attacking Namimori?"

Said pineapple head put on his best innocent look. "I wish to test this world's Decimo. After all, I must see if he is worthy to possess (Kufufufu)!" He seemed to be in an abnormally good mood, judging by the number of fus he was attaching to his laugh.

"But…" Tsuna let go of Mukuro's pants, pulling at the hem of his t-shirt uncertainly. "If you really remember, why are you still attacking?"

Mukuro leaned forward, and Tsuna saw a glint in his eye that he could only describe as insane. "My dear Tsunayoshi, it seems you don't quite understand. I may have those memories, but I am not the Rokudo Mukuro that you know. No, what the mafia did is far too horrible for me to just ignore it like my other self. The only reason that I gave up on destroying the mafia in that world is because of _you_, my dear Tsunayoshi. You, it seemed, had a chance of changing that awful organization. However. I do not know this new Decimo, therefore, I have no reason to cease my efforts to destroy the mafia. Comprehende?"

Tsuna could only bow his head to these words, berating himself for his utter powerlessness.

_(They teach you to live, and to keep living)_

At five foot four, with a C average and a middle class family, Daiki didn't strike people as someone to go to. He wasn't bullied or hated, but he didn't have a thousand friends and a perfect girlfriend, like some. Daiki was someone who faded into the background. He was the kind of person who was supposed to go to a middle class college, graduate somewhere in the middle, and become a boring office worker with a nice wife and two or three snot nosed kids. He wasn't supposed to have a baby hitman tutor show up out of nowhere and tell him he was a mafia boss. He wasn't supposed to be friends with delinquents and sports prodigies. He certainly wasn't supposed to get involved with dangerous murderers.

It isn't every day that you find out your mother is a retired assassin and your grandfather is the twin of the Vongola Nono.

Still, he took it in stride. The plain Akamine Daiki wanted a chance to stand out, to become somebody _interesting_. Everything in his life seemed to fade to gray with this revelation. He relished the newfound feeling of freedom. Options he'd never known to exist had opened before his eyes.

What he reveled in most, though, was helping people. His entire life, Daiki had always longed to be important to someone; his parents didn't count. Saving Takeshi and Hayato had made him happier than anything else in his boring life had done. In a way, they had saved him.

That was why he never complained about Reborn's Spartan training. Daiki couldn't even begin to recount how proud he was when his midterm average was a fat, red 89. In gym, he was now the tenth picked instead of the fifteenth. On his last progress report, his failing Japanese grade had gone from 46 to 75.

All of this was thanks to Reborn. Ever since the baby home tutor had entered his life, things had only gone uphill. Sure, he was pelted with bullets and explosions daily, and Reborn's favorite method of waking him up was the defibrillator, but he could deal with that. As long as he got up really fast. _Reeeally _fast. As in, before Reborn brought out the exploding alarm clock. Okay, maybe he was a _little_ traumatized.

That aside, Daiki was happy enough until Tsuna entered his life. Something about the little boy both drew and repelled him. It could have been the bland courtesy he treated almost everyone with, or the strangely mature patience he gave Kyoko. It might have been how his looks were eerily similar to Daiki. It even could have been the way he was able to wrap everyone around his little finger, manipulating them easily, but unable to do the same to Daiki and Akemi. (Reborn was a no-brainer for being among the non-manipulated.)

Sometimes, Daiki got the feeling that Tsuna was judging him. The blank eyes would follow him for a time, before Hayato or Lambo came bursting in, and he reverted back to the tight-lipped little boy. It just wasn't _normal_.

Daiki hardly remembered his little brother, Kai, at that age before he died of leukemia. Daiki was eight when it happened, and Kai wasn't exactly the epitome of five year old boys. Still, the comparison was enough to tell that something about Tsuna was off.

Reborn had also noticed. Daiki would catch him staring thoughtfully at the little brunette, before the redhead was hit with an electrically charged ruler or a pink grenade. All thoughts would then fly out the window, and Daiki would return to mindlessly doing his homework.

_(They teach you how to turn a hopeless situation around into something worth fighting for)_

At one in the morning, Daiki found himself jerking awake as his intuition went haywire. Gasping with uncertain fear and sweating profusely, the fire-headed boy stumbled to Tsuna's small room and found the bed empty and untouched. Reborn shadowed him, poking thoughtfully at the covers.

"Cold. He hasn't been here all night." Reborn watched Daiki out of the corner of his beady black eyes.

"What now, Baka Daiki?"

_(They teach you how to break through with more than words, and how to understand others)_

Name: Rokudo Mukuro

Age: Fifteen

Status: Clinically Insane

**A/N – READ THE UNDERLINED IF YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUKURO COULD TELL THAT TSUNA REMEMBERED!**

**Mukuro could tell that Tsuna remembered because he called him "Mukuro", when he shouldn't have even known his name. Also, he wouldn't have called him by his first name if he didn't remember.**

**This might be my last chapter for a while. I use my school laptop, and school is ending this week. I'm trying to buy my own, but bear with me for a while.**

**I give credit to Killer Panda01 for the idea of giving Mukuro his memories! I just added my own twist…*evil grin***

**Sorry to all you Hibari lovers out there, but he will be entering very soon. Don't worry, I wouldn't leave him out. However, his entrance must be perfect! Mwahaha!**

**Thanks to Killer Panda01, RandomS, MakaMaka, Verdigurl, Toumei Ai, and ninja . lover . 556 for reviewing! And to all 47 of my followers!**

**Toumei Ai – Kyoko and Tsuna are five, but the rest are canon ages. I am thinking about "shrinking" a couple of characters, but only one of the really important ones are included in that. (For example, I consider the Squalo as important, but Hana as not. I'm actually shrinking her because she's Kyoko's best friend in ****_any_**** life.)**

**Edited as of September 1st, 2013: Thanks to The Shuiro Amaya for letting me know about an inconsistency!**


	5. Status: Contrary

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: 5 ½

Status: Bored

_(They teach you sacrifice without waste, and unshakeable resolution)_

"Ple_ase_, Mukuro!"

"I do not see why you want to go to that disgusting place full of pathetic children who lead soft lives with no knowledge of the mafia." Mukuro steepled his fingers, facing the fidgeting brunette.

Tsuna frowned. "But I want to go! There's nothing to do here!" _'And,' _he privately added, _'I want to see Kyoko-chan!'_ "It's just kindergarten!"

Mukuro and Tsuna were arguing about something that Ken and Chikusa thought that they'd never even hear their boss _say_. Tsuna wanted to go to kindergarten, even though Mukuro wouldn't let him leave ("Kufufu," the pineapple head chuckled darkly. "How could I leave my dear Tsunayoshi with a prick I've never met?").

It took days of wearing him down, but Tsuna finally managed to convince Mukuro.

"Fine!" The violet haired teen slammed down his trident. "But don't come running to me when you regret it! Kufu~" Tsuna winced. Only one fu. Mukuro was definitely pissed.

Still, he was cheerful as he attempted to skip to school, falling over his own feet and pretending not to notice Ken's failed attempt at following him. Contrary to common belief, the only thing masks do is creep out passerby.

_(They teach you to believe in others, even when you only have the tiniest thread of trust to go on)_

On his way back to Kokuyo Land, Tsuna's hyper intuition prickled. It felt like there was a pair of eyes drilling holes into the back of his head. They didn't feel dangerous; in fact, just the opposite. Like a puppy…actually, no. Tsuna was terrified of puppies. Whether he was five or twenty-five, that didn't change.

It started with just a flash of white as he turned the corner. When he was about halfway to Kokuyo, he found a white marshmallow behind a pole. With a quarter of the way to go, Tsuna tripped over a bag of multicolored marshmallows.

Tsuna obediently followed his hyper intuition, picking up the bag of sweets and circling a bench. He did not expect what he found there.

A seven year old albino boy stared at him, sucking on a marshmallow. After a moment of staring, the boy seemed to realize he'd been discovered, and his curious and bored expression transformed into utter panic, before falling into a huge grin. "Marshmallow?"

Tsuna hesitantly took the orange marshmallow from the boy; his hyper intuition let out a stab, telling him _he knew this boy_.

The huge grin the boy was wearing never wavered as he munched through his marshmallows, seemingly waiting for Tsuna to speak. After five minutes of awkward silence, Tsuna couldn't take it anymore and spoke up.

"Um…why are you following me?"

_Munch, munch_. "'Cuz I can~"

"Okay… then, what's your name?"

_Munch, munch_. "Ran~"

"Can you stop following me?"

_Munch, munch_. That noise was really starting to get on Tsuna's nerves. "I could~"

The boy was definitely being difficult on purpose. Ran was grinning like there was no tomorrow, resealing his bag of marshmallows and pulling out another bag, this time of white marshmallows. A violet knapsack lay beside him, stuffed to bursting with marshmallow bags. _Munch, munch_. "Could you stop that?!"

Ran grinned even wider, if possible, and stabbed a finger through his marshmallow with an ugly squishing noise. "No~"

Suddenly, his expression changed, becoming strangely amused and solidifying Tsuna's recognition. "Aww~ Tsu~chan~ I'm so sad~ You don't remember me~ Don't you remember Byakuran?"

One second passed. Then two. On the third… "Eh…EH?! BYAKURAN?!"

"Shh! Not so loud, Tsu~chan~" Byakuran stuffed a giant marshmallow in Tsuna's mouth. "I'm not actually the Byakuran you know, you see, I'm actually Shiro Ran in this world~ But I know what he wants to say to you. It reeeeeally surprised us when we felt your memories go whoosh! and come to this world. It wasn't just that me, though~ It was me, and him, and another me. That other me never saw that you, though~"

Tsuna finally swallowed the sticky marshmallow. "Eh? So you aren't Byakuran?"

"No~ No~ I am~ Ran's my actual name, though. Byaku_ran_, see~? I'm the youngest me; the next youngest is fourteen." Byakuran switched to a bag of light violet marshmallows, and when he bit into one, purple jelly squirted out.

Tsuna nodded hesitantly, trying to process the information. "Um, but I thought you ruled all of the universes you were in?"

Ran nodded sagely. "I own the internet~"

It took Tsuna a few seconds to absorb this. "You _what_?"

The albino boy shrugged. "I'm a kid~ World domination's great and all, but the internet is _cool_~ My online name is Byakuran. Ooh! I know~ Why don't we trade emails~?"

"But I don't have an email account." Tsuna mentally slapped himself. It made him sound like he wanted to communicate with Ran.

Ran grinned, showing off bright purple teeth. "I made you one!"

Yet again, Tsuna found himself dumbfounded. "What the- _why_?"

His question was ignored as Ran scribbled something down on a – was that a marshmallow? Tsuna was handed a giant white marshmallow with scrawling letters going around it; they read _ByakuranTenshi100 _. A second later, Ran handed him another marshmallow, this time reading _tunafish27 _. Below that was a series of numbers and letters that represented his password.

By the time Tsuna looked up, Ran was gone, leaving a trail of fallen marshmallows in his wake.

_(They teach you to live)_

It was another day before Tsuna could test out his new email account, though he had to skip school and steal Ken's money. He silently apologized as he snuck into an internet café and used the money for a computer, despite the odd looks he was getting.

When he opened it, he nearly let out his trademark scream at the way Byakuran had spammed him. His inbox read _117 new messages_. After the first three, Tsuna mass deleted the rest and typed a quick confirmation that he was on. The reply came almost before it finished sending.

**_YAY! TSU~CHAN IS ON! NOW WE CN TLK&TLK&TLK~ _****(^-^)-0 ****_MARSHMALLOW_**

Dear readers, you shall be spared from the rest of the conversation. Suffice to say, it had absolutely nothing worth mentioning. Tsuna left the café with a new, extensive knowledge of emoticons and text-speak. Also, he learned that Ran's mouth to keyboard censor was broken. He was newly graced with an arsenal of internet swears.

After leaving the café, Tsuna wandered around the town; he made sure to keep far away from anyone he knew. There was one moment where he had to squeeze into a tiny doghouse as Takeshi passed him with a thoughtful frown on his face, but otherwise, he made it back to the school before Chikusa came to pick him up.

_(What you learned to understand makes you hopeless)_

Daiki was freaking out. Not even a couple days into taking care of Tsuna, and he'd lost him. Daiki usually prided himself on his ability to keep kids. After all, Lambo, I-Pin, and Fuuta all lived with him, and none of them ever got lost. (Dear readers, what we have here is a case of _self-delusion_. The truth is, they always made it home before the delusions wore off and panic set in. As you know, Fuuta is currently lost. Daiki is just trapped in his delusions.)

However, Tsuna had gone and disappeared on his way home from kindergarten. Ryohei was supposed to walk him home that day, but he had forgotten when he saw that there was a kindergarten boxing tournament. Daiki just didn't have the heart to get mad at him after the boxer spent all night searching for the five year old.

With Mukuro Rokudo around, Daiki was even more nervous. Most of his time was spent training, and hair was now permanently blown to the side because of a mixture of dying will flames and Leon spit. Daiki's body ached all over.

"Akamine-dono, I deeply apologize; I have been unable to find young Sawada-dono." Basil placed a hand on his shoulder, startling the redhead out of his thoughts.

Daiki forced a smile as he replied "No, that's okay, Basil. I'm just worried. Tsuna's going through a lot right now, and he might have run away or gotten kidnapped." His voice wavered as he said "kidnapped".

Basil looked worried. "Akamine-dono, thou should not worry so much. 'Tis not good for thy health."

"Ah," Daiki murmured, and added "No, I'm fine Basil. Why don't you get some sleep?"

Basil shot one last look at Daiki before turning to Reborn, who was watching their exchange silently from a low wall. "Reborn-san, I will now take my leave. Is there anything thy wish to tell Master?"

"Actually, Basil," Reborn said, making a flying leap to Daiki's shoulder. "Don't call him. Iemitsu will be of no use if he knows his son is missing. And take Daiki with you. He needs to rest."

Basil nodded, leading away the mildly dazed ginger. Reborn watched him thoughtfully.

Just what made Sawada Tsunayoshi so important to Daiki to the point where he didn't even notice Fuuta's disappearance?

_(The memories I gave you make you careless)_

Tsuna hesitantly crept towards the basement window. He had overheard Ken bragging about how they were keeping Kyoya down there, and Tsuna's curiosity overcame his caution of Kyoya.

He squirmed through the window, which barely fit his undersized form. Kyoya was sleeping, but his eyes snapped open as Tsuna dropped to the floor with a thud and a whimper. He crawled over to the black haired boy, wincing at the extent of his injuries. Obviously, Mukuro had more of a grudge this time around.

Hibird hopped down, curiously jumping into the soft hair and beginning a rendition of the Namimori school anthem. Tsuna giggled slightly at the feeling of little feet in his hair.

"Herbivore. What are you doing here?" Kyoya moved slowly towards his tonfas, but the move was more of a reflex than anything else. This tiny herbivore looked harmless.

Tsuna scrambled through his deep pockets, pulling out a small roll of bandage and a box of plain band aids that he was ashamed to say were stolen. He'd had a suspicion that Mukuro would hurt Kyoya worse because of his memories.

Kyoya reached out, and Tsuna flinched back. Kyoya hated accepting help, but just seeing how badly he was injured… Tsuna just couldn't _not _help him. However, Kyoya just grabbed the bandages and started wrapping his arm. Tsuna was shocked by the rare smile on his face as he glanced at Tsuna.

_Ah, that's right._ Kyoya had a soft spot for kids, something Tsuna hadn't found out until the birth of Basil's niece, when Kyoya handled her more gently than anyone else.

After a few minutes, Tsuna startled at the feel of a gentle hand on his head. "Thanks." Tsuna blushed with embarrassment and mumbled something unintelligible.

There was one more problem. While Kyoya was treating his injuries, a Chihuahua puppy had started sniffing around the frame and eventually fallen asleep there. Tsuna _would not_ go out with that monster blocking the way.

Kyoya seemed torn between amusement and annoyance when he realized the reason for Tsuna's reluctance. Finally, as night fell, Tsuna just curled up on the cold cement floor and fell asleep shivering.

_(Together they can teach you caution and resolve)_

Tsuna woke slowly to the feeling of warmth and safety. When he peeled his eyes open, the first thing he saw was Hibird, who was singing his little heart out in Tsuna's face. When the bird noticed Tsuna's open eyes, he chirped "Hibari! Hibari!"

Kyoya didn't move, but frowned in his sleep. Tsuna realized the Kyoya's arm was wrapped around him, acting like a hot water bottle. When had that happened?

Wait a minute. Why was Kyoya so hot? Tsuna reached up as far as he could and felt the skylark's forehead. He was burning up!

"Hie!" Tsuna frantically looked around for help, and made a beeline for the window. However, he stopped in his tracks.

The Chihuahua wasn't alone anymore. Mama Chihuahua and Papa Chihuahua were there too. Tsuna might have been able to deal with one puppy, but three of those slavering, terrifying creatures… no way in hell.

After minutes of frantic pacing, Tsuna finally had the semblance of a plan. His sky flame could take on the characteristics of other flames, though not half as strongly as his guardians. If he could call up a sun flame… He hadn't tried to call up his flames at all since he came here. It could hurt him badly.

_But Kyoya…!_ Tsuna quickly came to a decision, kneeling in front of Kyoya and holding his hands out as he focused on the warm yellow of the sun flame. A spark flickered at his fingertips, before bursting into a small flame. Tsuna immediately set to work, trying to ignore the intense energy burn. He pinpointed the cause: an infected cut on Kyoya's neck. A black aura flowed out through the cut, pooling in Tsuna's flame, which was flickering dangerously. When the cut began to bleed clean, red blood, Tsuna finally let go of the exhausted flame and slumped back against Kyoya, unconscious. Hibird, who had been skimming back and forth across Kyoya's head, landed on Tsuna with a loud "Hibari!" and settled down to wait for one of the two humans to wake up.

_(That is why I picked you)_

Name: Hibari Kyoya

Age: 15

Status: Recovered

_(You need to protect this world)_

**A/N – Those of you who read last author's note before I reposted, I sort of lied. I only had this flash of inspiration after, and I changed it the moment I could. To new readers, ignore the last sentence. **

**Just a reminder – this isn't yaoi. There will be no 1827 or 6927. Just brotherly love. I don't write pedo.**

**Oh yeah! I managed to squeeze out one last chapter before I had to turn in my laptop! I feel so proud. I even made it extra-long as a consolation prize. I might be able to borrow my BFF's laptop soon, though. She's coming from way far away!**

**I may also be able to post from my iPod. I downloaded Werdsmith, a word processing app, and testing it out by writing a one-shot (Utopia: Empty World for MineCraft) that I'm thinking about turning into a multi-chapter story named Utopia, from a different point of view. Paragraphs might be shorter, though.**

**In the English subbed Reborn I watch, Dying Will is changed to Deathperation. Isn't that weird?**

**Ah, almost forgot. I have a poll on my profile, could people _please_ vote in it? You don't have to read the story (though that'd be nice, too) but I need more voters to come to a consensus. **


	6. Status: Unsure

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: 5 ½

Status: Asleep

_(You need to protect this Decimo)_

"Hey, Sessu?" Tsuna was sitting cross-legged on the floor, next to Sessu, who was looking through a thick stack of papers. Tsuna always came here when he slept, now, and Sessu was almost always there. Something about it being his duty.

"Yeah?" Sessu asked impatiently, flipping a paper into the air with a flick of his wrist. Tsuna caught the words _'permission for inter-world breeding: denied' _before the paper disappeared in a swirl of violet flames. "What is it?"

Tsuna leaned in, trying to read the next paper. "How do I fight? My flames aren't developed enough as a child."

Sessu paused in his furious writing, pen hovering just a millimeter above the signing form for the creation of an experimental world. "Right, I haven't told you, have I?"

Tsuna nodded eagerly. Sessu had been sparring with him in the dream world ever since he was six months, but Tsuna couldn't see how he could use the moves in his child form. He'd tried attacking a tree, but always ended up fighting like he was a foot taller than he actually was. (In the dream world, he was his adult self.)

Sessu pushed up on his reading glasses, and they disappeared. "Well, you see, I had to pull in a favor with Esru. He's locked your soul to that time, unless certain circumstances come around." Noticing Tsuna's confused look, he added "To put it simply, if you use the ten-year bazooka, your bodies will switch but your mind will not. To make it even easier, I made him stretch time so that to your future self, it will only seem like a second. The smoke won't even have cleared when you switch back on that end! On the downside, you have to keep all of your fights below five minutes. On the upside, you can act like your adult self when you switch!" Sessu managed to say all of this in a very perky voice, as if he was explaining the ups and downs of cotton candy. He seemed to think it would help the impact of bad news.

Tsuna took a moment to absorb all of this, before asking "But how will I switch?"  
"The ten-year bazooka, of course!" Sessu seemed to think this was a grand idea, despite how many problems said bazooka had caused.

"But that's Lambo's!" Tsuna argued.

"Steal it!" Was the cheerful reply.

"What?! No, I can't do that!" Tsuna yelped.

"Why not?" Sessu seemed genuinely curious. "It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

Tsuna thought for a moment. "Lambo needs that for protection. He could get hurt."

Sessu raised an eyebrow. "He carries around grenades."

"They could run out!"

"If it really worries you that much, I'll create a copy. I'll even streamline the application process." The red-haired deity snapped his fingers, and a very long piece of paper covered in tiny black writing appeared. "Fill this out."

Tsuna took it, and read out loud the first few lines. "Name of recipient, gender, age, date of birth…" He skipped down a few lines. "D. O. D.? What's that?"

"Date of death. Leave it blank."  
Tsuna blanched, reading down once more. "Cause of death, time of death, name of shinigami, rank of shinigami, afterworld placement?!"

Sessu didn't even glance up. "Leave those blank too."

Tsuna started filling out the extensive order form, trying not to gape too openly at questions like "Ethnicity (Circle One or More): White, Asian, African, Hispanic, Alien, Demonic, Mer, Godly, Angelic, Fae, Draconic, or Other (Please specify)". The rest of the time passed quietly, only broken when one of them coughed or (Tsuna) gasped.

The brunet had just gotten past the essay questions when he felt the familiar tug that meant it was time to wake up. Sessu held out his hand, absorbed in whatever paper he was disapproving now. "I'll finish it. See ya."

When Tsuna had disappeared in a swirl of rushing air, Sessu allowed himself to relax and study the last question thoughtfully. The paper he was reading was a report on Tsuna. Short, simple, and to the point.  
Name:

Age:

Status:

It was easy enough, with a little math.

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: 5½

Status: …

That took some thinking. It was supposed to be one or two words, but one or two words really didn't sum up Sawada Tsunayoshi, except… A smirk graced Sessu's self-molded features. With a motion, he had transported himself far away, into a realm where none but the gods themselves could survive. The paper fluttered down onto the neat desk of an overworked secretary, and she glanced down at it. Her mouth twisted up at the corner. Of course.

**Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi**

**Age: 5½**

**Status: Excitingly Unpredictable**

_(Keep him alive)_

Tsuna jerked awake at the sound of explosions. He automatically dove into a niche as Kyoya woke up, slowly bringing his guard up and waiting for the dust to clear. A silhouette was visible, hunched over and staggering slightly. Tsuna needed nothing to help him recognize the octopus-like style or the sharp green eyes. Gokudera Hayato stepped out from the smoke, an easy, if pained, smirk sharpening his features. Tsuna missed the exchange of words between cloud and storm as the sky's fingers twitched with a wish to heal the bomber.

Before Tsuna could come out himself, the two had left. Hibird fluttered around his head for another moment, before following Kyoya. Tsuna crawled out through the (dog-free) window, shouldering past a clump of wildflowers, and found himself next to the broken down Kokuyo Land building. A short while of walking would bring him to Mukuro, in the auditorium. A longer walk would send him home. It wasn't much of a contest.

_(Or the cost will be more than you can imagine)_

Mukuro beckoned Tsuna imperiously from the couch, and the little brunet climbed up next to him without protest. He simply wasn't strong enough to fight back, but he couldn't _not_ be there for his friends. Mukuro gave a self-satisfied smirk before settling his non-trident arm so that Tsuna was completely caged in, unable to leave.

"You won't hurt anybody, will you?" Tsuna whispered, tugging at Mukuro's jacket with a small hand. The pineapple headed boy chuckled.

"I can't promise that, but I certainly don't plan on killing them. I'm not a fool, Tsunayoshi-kun. Reborn would kill me."

It was then that Daiki burst in, with Hayato, Kyoya, Bianchi, and Takeshi close behind. Apparently, Takeshi was not so injured in this timeline. Tsuna didn't know if that made him feel better- or worse. On one hand, Takeshi wasn't so badly hurt. On the other, it meant that Tsuna had failed him somehow the first time around.

Reborn's eyes burned into Tsuna's the moment he entered the room. He said nothing, seeming to prefer letting Daiki notice first, but his eyes held questions in them. If there was one thing the hitman didn't like, it was not knowing something and not having the means to find it out. Tsuna offered him a weak smile, and Mukuro's arm pulled Tsuna ever so slightly closer to him. Cue squeak of surprise.

Daiki was the first to notice Tsuna, his head snapping around so fast Tsuna thought he'd hurt it; Kyoya was the next to notice him. His dark eyes were still on Tsuna as Daiki gasped out "Tsuna-kun! What are you doing here?"

Mukuro answered him in a cool, easy tone. "I'm taking care of him." Tsuna wiggled, trying to ignore the cold suspicion in Reborn's eyes. "You, obviously, were not doing a good enough job."

"Wh-what do you mean? Tsuna-kun, what are you doing over there?" Daiki held out his arms entreatingly, and Mukuro growled low in his throat. Tsuna twitched back automatically into what his mind had deemed as a "safe" place, Mukuro's arm. Mukuro, feeling the movement, smugly pulled Tsuna closer, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Foolish boy. Tsunayoshi-kun has _chosen_ to stay with me." This wasn't exactly true, as Mukuro had originally forced him to stay. (But, he _had_ come back of his own free will.) "He will not go back to someone who understands him so little. Kufufufu…" Mukuro was taunting Daiki, pointing out his failing and trying to make him angry.

Rather than angry, Daiki looked embarrassed. Training with Reborn had highlighted his own flaws, stringing them up in front of Daiki and forcing him to face them. He still hated the thought of other people mentioning them, but he would deal. (It helped that Reborn was glaring at him, seeming to tell Daiki that if he even _thought_ of taking the bait, his mentor would flatten him like a bug.)

Reborn finally spoke up, his squeaky voice echoing strangely in the large auditorium. "Why." It wasn't a question, it was an order. And, because Tsuna had spent eleven years being conditioned to follow orders from Reborn, he answered.

"Mukuro…Mukuro is my friend." If Reborn was surprised, he didn't show it. "He's nice to me, even if he pretends that he doesn't like anybody and acts all cold and stuff. He talks to me and asks if I'm okay and makes sure I eat enough and that I'm okay." Tsuna stopped himself, flushing deep red at the shocked looks on everyone's face. However, the cause of their surprise turned out to be less expected than he thought.

"_You're_ Mukuro?" Daiki choked out. "But…But…you said that you were a prisoner…"

Mukuro threw back his head with a wild bark of laughter. "Kufufufu! You Vongola always say the most ridiculous things." The mad glint that Tsuna had seen when he first met Mukuro was back. The once-Decimo shivered, feeling sorry for the person on the other side of that gaze. It was a harsh reminder that while this was Mukuro, this was not the Mukuro that he knew. This was an insane prison escapee who had seen six Hells. Except for one difference. He'd had a taste of happiness- five Hells and one Heaven. He'd had a taste of happiness, and would do anything to get another one.

_(Twenty-five years, Decimo)_

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: Undefined

Status: Undecided

_(Twenty-five years to save your friends)_

_(But are they really my friends?)_

**A/N- I adore KHR monologues/soliloquies/speeches. They are always so sweet and deep and all of that. **

**I hope you aren't mad at me for bringing in another ten-year bazooka. Don't get annoyed. I'll change it a bit, and KHR is mostly action. I can't have Tsuna sit it out, and he can't reasonably fight in his five year old form, like Reborn can. So, ten-years later form. **

**Tell me how you like Daiki in your reviews. Please. Seriously, I don't want to create a Gary-Stu here. I love you all to death. But really. I have 108 followers and less than half that in reviews. That should tell you something. Most people have more reviews than followers, y'know.**

**Also, I've done something to the Arcobaleno that you'll be noticing soon. I mentioned earlier that Reborn looked a little different… Kukuku.**


	7. Omake: The Time Before

Omake: The Time Before

Honestly, Tsuna wasn't sure why he'd ever bothered. It wasn't like he had any motivation for it, with an absent father and a dead mother. He didn't have any siblings or rivals, and his crush was dating another guy. The moment his grades showed hope, he was accused of cheating and they dipped right back down. Teachers talked at him, going on about trying harder and _why are you so cold to your classmates? That's not very nice_, but they looked at him with thinly veiled disgust. Even his fellow victims looked at him with dislike.

_I didn't do anything! Why do you hate me so much? You, Tatsuki, I helped you get over your fear of boys in third grade. And Yusuke, wasn't it me who found your lucky charm bracelet before that really important competition? Katsuye, Haruka, Ami, and Ryuu! I helped you all, and you turned your back on me when the bullies came around!_

The thing that set it off was a tiny thing, really. Just a little mistake, a tiny show of clumsiness. Tsuna had stumbled, a tiny little trip over a tiny little rock. He had lurched into a slightly bigger black-haired boy; no one who mattered anymore, he had moved away in second grade. The boy had turned, angrily. He had problems at home, and a couple harsh words were all it took to make him feel better. It wasn't much, just a quick "Stupid! Are ya blind?!"

The next day, he was partnered with Tsuna for some random coloring project. _"Hey, stupid. No one has hair like that. Your drawing is trash."_ It happened again the next day, and the next. Soon, the boy was joined by another one. Then a girl, and a first grader. More and more people had joined in on making fun of the brunet. The nickname dame-Tsuna somehow surfaced, and that was that. He was stuck.

If all were right, it never would have accelerated. It would have kept to name-calling and low self-esteem, until Reborn came around. But that didn't happen. Nana got sick.

Tsuna was stressed and worried. His nerves frayed, he snapped back at a bully, telling them off. Unfortunately, it was a bad choice. The other boy was bigger, older, and crueler. Tsuna was left covered in bruises and dirt. Nana wore a heartbreakingly disappointed look on her face when he came home.

It got worse. Nana died, and Tsuna had to fend for himself. An old lady from the house next door took care of him, indifferently feeding him and cleaning his house. At school, he was mercilessly teased by other students.

The same student who had beat him came at him again, with a group of kids. Again, Tsuna was left bruised and hurt. Years passed like this, filled with cruel words and hate.

When he was eleven, Tsuna happened to overhear a conversation on the street. A man named Nono had died, and left his entire family (Tsuna didn't really understand what they meant; how can someone inherit a family?) to his son, a man named Xan-something. On an unrelated note, there had been an increase in crime in Italy and the surrounding countries.

Tsuna was twelve when he made his first suicide attempt, and the one that came closest to succeeding. A bottle of his mother's old sleeping pills went down his throat, and he lapsed into a short, death-like coma. The expired pills did no long-lasting damage, aside from becoming a new topic for the bullies.

In middle school, outright physical attacks actually decreased. Hibari Kyoya bit to death any who dared to attack Namimori students. On the downside, his chances of a beat down increased outside of school, and verbal attacks became downright vicious. Tsuna was diagnosed as clinically depressed by the school nurse that year.

High school came around. Tsuna scraped a pass into Namimori highschool, surprising many. (Really, the only reason he went was because of Kyoko.) He suffered through three years of bullying, solely for the bright smile of a certain ginger female.

Tsuna entered work straight after graduation. Gossip told him that Kyoko was married and in America after her eighteenth birthday; that was the first time he picked up the knife.

Tsuna was terrible at work; his coworkers teased him mercilessly, not seeming to realize the effect this had on the young man. Between his eighteenth and twenty-second birthday, he held the knife over his wrist one hundred and sixty three times. He sold his house and bought a dingy apartment in the poorer part of town.

Iemitsu died. He committed suicide, taking three others with him- including a young CEDEF agent named Basil. He had recently been fired from his job because a test had revealed that he didn't pass the minimum sanity requirement. His last day, he brought a small bomb in. His remains were completely vaporized. Again, the knife hovered over Tsuna's wrist.

On January 25th, when Tsuna was twenty-three, he awoke from a strange dream to find his bed on fire. The dream was quickly forgotten, and the memory of a blond man with hair reminiscent of his own faded into nothing. Tsuna was fired from his job.

Xanxus died; a suicidal assassin. Tsuna sometimes looked up to see the disappearing brim of a fedora or a flash of green scales. After a month, the sightings stopped, and a distant relative of Nono was brought in to inherit with the guidance of a mysterious hitman and the tenth generation Cavallone boss. The knife was now held against his skin once a week.

Tsuna was fired, and he got a new job. He found it boring, and spent most of the time listlessly staring at his hands. A mysterious inheritance found its way into his bank account, but was stolen within a month by a particularly cunning identity thief. Tsuna stood in his bathroom for three hours that night, staring blankly at the old knife.

He turned twenty-five, and again stared at the blade. A slip, a crash, a break. Sawada Tsunayoshi was no more.

_(I didn't do anything!)_

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: Twenty-five

Status: In Limbo

**This is really, really, depressing. I mean seriously, no humor. Forgive me.**

**You lot are too smart for me. I fished for reviews, and your cold logic snapped my line. **

**Cathra: Thanks for the review! Please refrain from inappropriate nicknames for Daiki in the future. No, I will not kill him off. He's a required character. I'm glad that you hold such a strong loyalty to Tsuna. There is a reason that Tsuna needs to protect Daiki; it will be revealed eventually! Daiki is written to be a little blah; he's never going to outshine any of his predecessors. He will have his moments, though.**

**Something I've always been curious about: some people hate OCs, yet the original story is technically made entirely of OCs. How does that work? (I'm not saying that it's bad, it's just that that has always bugged me. If an OC is well-written, they won't take away from the characters. Unfortunately, there are some that just overshadow the story.)**


	8. Status: Radiant

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: 5 ½

Status: Bemused

_(Twenty-five years to learn how to put someone you envy and possibly hate above your own well-being)_

To be honest, Daiki was a pathetic fighter. Tsuna could tell that Mukuro was toying with him, like a cat playing with a mouse. Daiki's movements were sloppy and ill-coordinated, and he wildly slung them at his enemy with no particular order or force. Analyzing his movement, Tsuna could tell that Reborn had focused on building the red-head's muscles and stamina. It was probably a good decision when no one was attacking, and Daiki would need to build those essentials up, but against a wily enemy like Mukuro, it was futile. Reborn couldn't use a dying will bullet, because Leon was missing his tail and slowly getting ready.

Surprisingly, Takeshi was the only one able to resist Mukuro's hypnotism when he got cut. When Tsuna sent the pineapple-haired illusionist a questioning glance, he answered distractedly "His mind is like glass. Attacks slide right off. A natural resistance; along with the fact that I have too many people under control." Of course, this was answered by Bianchi, who was nearest to Tsuna, and Daiki shot her a weird glance before tackling Fuuta and gently knocking him out, leaving him with Reborn before rejoining Takeshi.

The fight went on, and Tsuna found himself analyzing. When he had been in this situation, he had entered Hyper Dying Will Mode about now. However, Leon showed no signs of spitting out his gift. Only when Daiki was thrown across the room by Hayato did Leon begin to glow.

Everything happened as before, and Tsuna felt confusion and anger bubble up into him. This should be him. _He_ should be the one out there, watching in awe as Leon expanded. _He _should be the one watching as his new weapon dropped to the floor.

There was one important difference. Instead of trying to stop Leon, the Mukuro puppets just sat back with eager expressions on their faces. In moments, the light had faded and several items clattered to the floor. Tsuna leaned forward, trying to see the weapons.

Thankfully, they were not gloves, but a pair of strangely shaped kunai. Two-pronged, with one dull edge and one sharp edge on each prong; they were reddish bronze in color. The kanji 輝 and 代 were engraved on the handles. Tsuna frowned. _'Kidai…?' _Daiki examined them. "Dai…ki? But that's not how I spell my name! I use 大, not 代!"

_'Oh. Daiki, with _大_meaning great and _輝_meaning radiance; Great Radiance. But why _代_? _代_… __substitute…Substitute Radiance?'_ Tsuna couldn't hold back a bitter laugh at that. _'Seems fitting.'_

It seemed that Mukuro had also caught onto the pun. He "kufufufu'd" as Reborn picked up a bullet rolling around his feet, loading it into his gun. "A new bullet." It wasn't the same as the criticism bullet; it was colored a bright reddish orange with an infinite symbol plastered on it. Reborn easily took aim, settling into a comfortable stance, and fired.

_(Twenty-five years to become who you could have been)_

Hyper Dying Will Mode is something that is possible for any descendent of the Primo. Every one of the nine – or ten, depending on who you ask – Vongola bosses had been able to enter this mode, and then some. Basil, for example, could enter with the help of pills, and later, nothing. Others throughout the world had the ability, an ability that was characterized by the flame on the user's forehead and the change in their eyes.

After years of training, one could even develop the skill to differentiate these flame signatures apart. Tsuna found it drained energy at an alarming rate, and usually guessed by the purity of the flame.

But now, he used this ability, heedless of the energy drain. What he saw surprised him.

Daiki's flame was nothing like Tsuna's own pure, high-density sky flame, or Xanxus's overpowering, scorching rage flames. In Tsuna's vision, it was surprising that Daiki could even enter HDWM with the way his flames were sluicing of off him in waves. His flames were dissolving in the air constantly; they wrapped everyone surrounding him in wraithlike, pale amber, leaving Daiki a small, flickering coal amid a field of embers.

It wasn't the first time Tsuna had checked Daiki like this– Tsuna was constantly comparing them, trying to see who was more suited to be Vongola Decimo. The last time he had looked, Daiki's flames were opaque amber, slowly flickering throughout his body like a second set of veins, centered in his throat. Occasional threads would leave a trail of flames behind him, as they did for everyone.

This…this was insane. At the rate that flames were draining from Daiki's body, he would be forced out of HDWM in minutes. If he strained his body to continue, he would start drawing on the flames that made up his life force. First his muscles would waste away, tiring as energy was yanked from them. The exhaustion would permeate his bones, and they would weaken and break. Lastly, his organs would tire, and he would die. His heart would just be too tired to beat. It was something that Tsuna had had the misfortune to witness himself- when someone with too low of a flame concentration attempted to enter HDWM, regardless of the cost. It was like watching someone age in fast-forward.

Daiki's reaction to HDWM was also different than Tsuna's. Where Tsuna became a confident, commanding presence, Daiki seemed to fade into the background, slipping noiselessly around his adversaries and knocking them out with a tap.

_"He is the sky: always there, always watching. He is so normal, so part of their lives, that people see nothing wrong with his presence and filter it out automatically. How often in your life to you watch a plain blue sky? Not the clouds, the rain, or sun; not the storm, the mist, or the lightning, but the honest sky that is always over you? People always look around them, but they never do think to look_ _up."_ Sessu's voice echoed in Tsuna's head. _"Daiki Akamine is not a special person- the only reason he has any say in this world's fate is because he is the Vongola's heir. To look at him and know it is he who has taken your place- it will be hard. You will see him grow and change; taking the Vongola to new heights, heights which are perhaps not as high as you could have taken it._

_"You are bitter. You believe that is your place. You believe that you have been taken out of one nightmare and into another. You see a friend, driven insane. You see your mother, dead. You see a town, moving just the same despite you not being there. You see a stranger in your place._

_"There are good things about this place. Your father sees you regularly and loves you dearly. You have a friend who remembers you. The woman you love is here; the one she would have loved has been married for three years. Sawada Tsunayoshi, you _must_ realize these things before your own mind drives you to failure. There is a place for you within this Vongola. _You are not alone_."_

Something heavy deposited itself in Tsuna's pocket, weighing heavily on the fabric. When Tsuna withdrew it, he found himself holding a small pink handgun. Everything was streamlined and light, with the kanji for ten - + - engraved in gold. "Wha-?" Tsuna asked uncertainly.

_"The ten-year handgun. Unlike Lambo-kun, you don't exactly have an afro to store a bazooka, so I brought this through. A bit more expensive, but doable."_

Tsuna was debating the handgun and it's uses when he heard Takeshi shout. "Daiki!" Bianchi (Mukuro) was aiming a trident straight down at Daiki's stomach. Takeshi was unable to defend, and Reborn was sitting back and doing nothing. _"PROTECT HIM!"_ Sessu roared in his mind, and Tsuna shot forward, firing the handgun at his own head.

_(Who you might be)_

Tsuna _felt_ his body change, stretching and filling out. Muscles he didn't have suddenly strained in his arms. New fabrics scraped along his skin, and his hair flowed with his movement. For the first time in years, he felt _comfortable_ in his body.

Sessu had been reduced to screaming threats at him about saving Daiki, but Tsuna blocked him out, relishing the surge of flames that surged with his pull. He entered HDWM, and part of him wondered how he could have missed this in his former life. Warmth spread over his forehead, and his eyes became sharper than any glasses could have done for him. His mind calculated the exact speed he needed to make it to Daiki in time; he shot a burst of flames behind him in order to speed up. Everything seemed frozen as the powerful illusionary trident met a pair of metallic orange gloves.

_(Who you _must_ be)_

_(Is that who I am?)_

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: Fifteen

Status: Freed

_(All you need to do is protect Akamine Daiki)_

**A/N- Oh! A fast update! Don't you love me? It's pretty short though. Not a lot of movement; mostly stuff from Tsuna's head. Don't worry, Tsuna's not done angsting yet!**

**I have a poll on my profile that has absolutely nothing to do with this story, but I'll write a pilot chapter for the top choice if I get ten or more votes on one choice! (Except for Cross My Heart, Hope to Die. That already has one!) So go and vote if you want to see the beginning of a story idea you like!**


	9. Status: Understanding

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: 15

Status: Battling

_(__He is the sky: always there, always watching__)_

The explosion of flames that resulted from Tsuna and Mukuro's collision was colossal. Tsuna had accidentally poured in more power than needed, and his orange flames overwhelmed everything in a blazing inferno. When he withdrew, he found threads of violet mist flames and Bianchi's scarlet storm flames that his flame had dragged from them. Their flames felt like a foreign leech on his system, and he quickly doused them.

Tsuna only took a moment to notice the comfortable weight of his gloves and the slight discomfort caused by his contact lenses. _'My hair is longer,'_ he noted, though it was still uncontrollably spiky. It was currently clipped back from his face with a couple bobby pins, securely holding his hair in place. He was wearing a snug pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt, along with flexible sneakers. He had most likely been training.

It was lucky that Tsuna had been wearing his gloves. His lack of practice and haste most likely would have badly burned his hands when he activated his flames, and he wouldn't wish that on his future self. Even with the gloves and HDWM activated, he still felt the wave of heat in the seconds before he protected himself (and Daiki).

Tsuna heard multiple gasps behind him, and Reborn's quiet "hm." Mukuro had stepped back, a slight frown on his face.

"Step aside, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna looked him coolly in the eye. He chose his words carefully, hoping to keep the advantage of being seen as his future self. "Explain yourself, Mukuro."

Mukuro smiled charmingly. "Why, my dear Tsunayoshi! Do you not trust my judgment?"

'_No,'_ Tsuna thought, but he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he murmured "You would have killed him." Behind him, Tsuna could hear Daiki shifting around, his flame flickering dangerously to Tsuna's senses.

Mukuro tilted his head in annoyance. "And why would you care?"

Tsuna took a deep breath, fighting down the bitterness that he knew was wrong. "Daiki-nii is my big brother." He forced the words out, struggling between resentment and self-disgust. Daiki had done nothing wrong, he knew that, but it was still hard.

Mukuro's eyes widened infinitesimally, before narrowing to angry slits. Tsuna read jealousy and cunning in the mist user's expression, and suddenly regretted his words. "Is that so…?"

Tsuna's internal clock sounded an alarm, letting him know that this had gone on too long. The Vindice should have appeared by now. Mukuro saw the look in his eyes and correctly guessed what Tsuna was thinking. He appeared to teleport, (an _illusion_, Tsuna's mind told him) appearing next to Tsuna's ear and whispering softly into it: "Do you take me for a fool, Decimo-kun? A secret a day keeps the Vindice away, you see." The boy hiding in the illusion jabbed at a knockout point, and Tsuna flipped back, grabbing Daiki's shirt and yanking him out of harm's way. The red-haired boy finally exited HDWM, and was thrown into Yamamoto's surprised grasp.

Tsuna landed in a spring-ready position. One hand was up by his face, and the other balanced lightly on the floor. His knees were bent and low to the ground. All in all, he looked as if he'd been fighting for years.

Mukuro sighed. He already knew he couldn't win this – not against Tsuna. True, their generation had been called the second coming of the first generation, and true, Daemon had beaten the Vongola Primo, but that hadn't been because he was better. It had been because Giotto had been unwilling to land the last blow. And in a fight to protect his important people, Tsuna would not hesitate where his predecessor had.

"Kufufu… I surrender."

_(__He is normal__)_

As it turned out, Mukuro had not killed Lancia's Family. The murder of that Family was ultimately what led to the Vindice putting out a warrant for him. He had falsified his own criminal ID and sent it to Reborn. Reborn had most likely known that the documents were counterfeit from the beginning, but Tsuna didn't ask and Reborn didn't volunteer any information. Either way, the end result was the same: Mukuro continued to attend Kokuyo Middle, and none of the Kokuyo gang went to prison. Mukuro began to be a common fixture in the Akamine household.

Reborn watched Tsuna with serious eyes. Apparently, Daiki and the rest were of the general opinion that Tsuna had been hit by Lambo's bazooka – they didn't question how. Reborn, on the other hand, was far more perceptive. He had seen the pink gun. He had seen the ease with which Tsuna had adjusted to the situation. He had seen the toned muscles and the high-quality clothes. Most of all, he had seen Tsuna in Hyper Dying Will Mode.

Tsuna dealt with all of the scrutiny as well as he could. Hayato was being nicer to him, now that he'd saved his precious Juudaime, and Takeshi had taken to lifting Tsuna onto his shoulders when they were together. These habits were strange to Tsuna, and he wasn't sure if he was happy about them or not.

In the end, it didn't matter. They weren't the guardians he had known and loved; they were bizarre, exotic creatures that were at once both parallel and unlike his own guardians.

_(He is part of their lives)_

A large difference was the possessiveness with which Kyoya was treating Tsuna. The boy could understand Mukuro; Tsuna was his only proof that his other memories were real. However, Hibari had made it a point to herd Tsuna around – he walked him to and from school, threatened the bullies away, and made sure Tsuna had everything he needed, from lunch to clothes. It was a little suffocating to Tsuna, whom had only experienced flashes of Kyoya's softer side in his former life.

In fact, the way Mukuro and Kyoya quietly competed over him almost went over his head; he didn't see until it nearly turned into a physical battle. Tsuna was forced to step into the fight and stand between the two combatants until they backed down after over a half hour of glaring.

There were changes that were worrying to Tsuna, too. For one, there were far more assassins than Tsuna remembered coming for him. Granted, he had been very oblivious, but Reborn had forced him to memorize the statistics, and this definitely was lopsided.

The answer that came to him made him both slightly bitter and somewhat warm inside. Iemitsu cared more about Tsuna, and therefore took more care with his safety. Of course none of the assassination attempts got any farther than Reborn (and in one case, Tsuna. But that was another story). But Iemitsu was letting more slip through his fingers, now that it wasn't _his _family on the line. Tsuna swallowed the lump in his throat as he realized this. He knew his father was a selfish person. It was just hard come to terms with.

"Tsuna-kun, you're spilling your rice." Tsuna blinked, coming out of his self-induced daze. Akemi was smiling at him with kindness, and Tsuna's cheeks burned with embarrassment when he saw that he had indeed managed to pour rice all over his lap. Before anyone could blink, Kyoya (Akemi had convinced him to stay for dinner) had the rice in a napkin and was already padding towards the kitchen trash can.

Kyoya was treating Tsuna like a fragile doll – he seemed determined to make sure Tsuna went on the right path. He removed anything dangerous in the way: delinquents, sharp objects, and/or pineapples. The skylark appeared especially resolute in chasing away Mukuro, come Hell or high water.

Tsuna suspected that Mukuro was the reason for this dogged protection. Several times, he had caught Mukuro talking to Kyoya in a low, threatening voice. They always stopped when he entered the room, but oftentimes, Mukuro would brush a hand through Tsuna's hair or pat his shoulder lightly, leaking a slight amount of killing intent. Kyoya would tense up and force himself between Mukuro and Tsuna, warily eying the should-be criminal as he smirked and left the room.

_(People see nothing wrong)_

He ached. He ached all over. Every movement sent another wave of agony through his body as he struggled to breathe without fainting. He hadn't hurt this much in years. The last time he hurt this much… he couldn't remember. Everything was too painful.

Still, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep his eyes open – to not fade into the inviting darkness. Doing so could turn out to be a fatal mistake. He wasn't ready to die. Not if it turned out like last time.

But it was so alluring to just let his head fall onto the grass and sleep as blood slowly pooled around him in a dark puddle. The red footsteps traced a haunting path through the forest.

'_I'll have to clean that up later…' _he thought, leaning against a smooth birch for a moment. A smear of scarlet liquid followed his motions as he struggled to stay upright and moving. Don't fall asleep. Don't.

"…Gh…" he tried to speak, but the only thing that came out was a broken gurgle. He cleared his throat and spoke to the air. "St'y…'wake…m'st…st'y…'wake…" His words did nothing to stem the encroaching blackness that was slowly driving him mad…

_(People see nothing wrong with his presence)_

Name: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Age: 15

Status: Incapacitated

_(__How often in your life to you watch a plain blue sky?)_

**A/N – Thank you to all my lovely readers! (I'm so evil, aren't I?)**

**There is one thing I would like to address before moving on: a review I recently got from a guest reader.**

"**I personally don't like it, the plot is confusing and not interesting" – Guest**

**I would like to say, "Why?" Why wasn't it interesting? What made it confusing? Don't just say, "it's bad," and then not give a reason. This is the kind of review I won't accept. I understand that you, personally, don't like it, but you can just leave it and move on. You don't need to leave an unkind review. I love criticism – I live on it. I love to improve and make my story better. ****The thing is, reviews like this don't help me improve the story.**** I get that this reviewer will most likely not end up reading this, but to all future reviewers: if you don't like something, **_**tell me**_**. Don't just say that you don't like the story. Tell me what is confusing, what needs fixing, what would make this story **_**better for everyone**_**. Please. Otherwise, I will take your review as a pointless flame and ignore it.**

**On a happier note, I posted a new one-shot for KHR. It's named **_**I Remember**_**. It's a tragedy, so it's fine if you don't want to read it. Also, I want more input on my story **_**A Stunning, Capricious Sky**_**.**

_**Au revoir!**_


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